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Today Nintendo announced a new handheld gaming console called the 2DS. It will play all games from the DS and the 3DS, but games from the latter will be shown in 2-D (essentially as if the 3DS's depth slider was turned all the way down). The 2DS abandons the clamshell design of the earlier handhelds; instead, the device is a slightly wedge-shaped tablet with two small LCD screens — thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom. "It's a design that seems calculated to reduce manufacturing costs and durability issues, but it also seems fated to make the system nearly impossible to fit inside most pants pockets. The buttons and controls that were on the bottom half of previous DS and 3DS systems are now shifted toward the top, so you can reach the shoulder buttons that now rest above the top screen. This means you grip the 2DS from the sides rather than supporting it from the bottom with the corners resting in palm of your hand, like previous DS models." Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said the new console is target at younger children, as the 3DS is recommended for players age 7 and up. It's also cheaper than the other models at $130.

It's descriptive. Like how the Nexus 7 (7" screen) preceded the Nexus 4 (4" screen). Unless Nintendo starts making breakthroughs in string theory, I don't think we're likely to see a 4+DS, the same way the 2nd generation Nexus 7 wasn't called the Nexus 8.

Except, of course, for the simple fact that the Nexus 4 is the fourth Nexus phone [wikipedia.org]. Though I guess we will have to wait for the new Nexus phone to see if they continue with different names.

It's a sequence. What is the next number in the sequence? 1,3,2... the correct answer is 4. From this we can deduce that Nintendo has a 4 dimensional game device in the works, and that it will require inter-dimensional space travel to play.

It's a sequence. What is the next number in the sequence? 1,3,2... the correct answer is 4. From this we can deduce that Nintendo has a 4 dimensional game device in the works, and that it will require inter-dimensional space travel to play.

It's a sequence. What is the next number in the sequence? 1,3,2... the correct answer is 4. From this we can deduce that Nintendo has a 4 dimensional game device in the works, and that it will require inter-dimensional space travel to play.

Maybe because there are no worthwhile Wii U games compared to the 3DS?

This.

The Wii U is fine as a console (yes, yes, it doesn't have a gazillion pixels or whatever), and there are some great examples of what you can do with the tablet-screen. There's just no damned games for the thing.

I did see that on some images when I was looking for it later. I was only this evening marvelling at how thoroughly the design team refine their products, such as the tripod mount point on the back of the GamePad.

parents like myself don't want my kid playing in 3D so its not a feature loss

Can't tell if you're serious or not, but we live in a 3D reality, are you really worried 3D is going to hurt their vision?

Yes, there are reports and warnings that forced 3D perspective has negative effects on eye development of young children. While there's also reports to the contrary, it's worth paying attention to (and doesn't appear to be just ignorant fear-mongering):

I know I'm late to this thread, but I didn't see anybody else say this.

After my son had corrective surgery for a crossed eye, the surgeon warned us that artificial 3D would inhibit his development of real 3D. He was born with the crossed eye, so he never had stereoscopic vision. It took about 6 months after the surgery to get a bit of depth perception, and about 18 months before he could pass all of the 3D vision tests.

Once he passed all the vision tests, the doc said to avoid artificial 3D, because it co

Though, it really does help in some games. Sure, you can play Super Mario 3D Land in 2D, but due to the camera angle, you might easily misjudge some of the jumps and die.Same with Animal Crossing, 3D really helps on judging distance with bug catching.

Is it necessary, no. Is it damn useful when properly done, definitely.

True enough it can be helpful. I personally love the effect. I thought it was a big gimmick until I actually saw it in person on my new 3DS XL and fell in love with it while playing animal crossing. Still, I mostly just took issue with is analogy, since it implied the thing is basically worthless without the effect.

No one's forcing you to trade your 3DS in for a 2DS. If you want a car analogy, it's like a car company making a car--in addition to their existing line--that only goes 40mph. Perfectly good for getting you around town, but it'll mean no highways for you.

No, I would agree more on grayscale v. color from the GP. The animated and stand still images are completely 2 different contents. In other words, one is displaying content in a different way compared to the other.

I would suggest another comparison which I think it is more appropriate. The 2DS would be similar to a browser that does NOT support gradient display (which imitate 3D display); whereas, the 3DS could properly display gradient. As a result, the same content is displayed in the same manner, but the

The 3D screen, while being a fun gimmick, is expensive to produce. At the same time it imposes a heavy hit to battery life due to both the energy costs of running the parallax barrier and the energy costs of the more powerful backlight needed to send enough light through that barrier. That's a big reason the original 3DS, despite its relatively puny SoC, only gets 3-5 hours on a single charge (typically closer to the former). So producing a model without the 3D screen, along with solving their unsafe-

The nice thing about Nintendo portables for a long time has been the pocketability (depending on your definition of pocket). But the 2DS looks like a disaster. Squares don't fit in pockets nicely, especially not big squares.

Well, there is the bulk- to me, there's also the fact that the flat design looks a bit naff aesthetically, but mainly that the inability to angle the second screen *looks* un-ergonomic (whether or not it is).

But regarding those screens and the inability to fold the device, there is a very telling comment after the Ars Technica article (emphasis mine):-

Actually, according to USgamer it is a single screen, masked by the case design:

This explains the hingeless design. A single screen is cheaper and more power efficient than two screens with the same area. The case merely makes it look (and function) as if it had 2 screens.

Regarding your other point:-

The D pad and buttons are halfway up the machine, making the lower touch screen a real PITA to use

I agree; I'm no gamer (though I own a DS Lite that I don't use often) and my first thought was that the buttons should have been a *quarter* of the way up (i.e. halfway up the lower screen as they would be on the original DSes and the 3DS).

I agree; I'm no gamer (though I own a DS Lite that I don't use often) and my first thought was that the buttons should have been a *quarter* of the way up (i.e. halfway up the lower screen as they would be on the original DSes and the 3DS).

I believe the controls were placed where they are to allow the use of shoulder buttons.

Besides the larger flat design not being pocketable, the new 2DS is also missing a great feature of the clamshell design from the AdvanceSP, DS, etc... the screen and main control button protection a clamshell design gave you. Unless you were really picky about the outer casing getting any scratches it essentially was it's own protective case. Now we'll have to work about scratched screens again.

Depending on how scratch-resistant the new screens are, this might actually be a plus in terms of device longevity. My DS Lite is unplayable now due to a loose connector somewhere in the clamshell hinge that's caused the top screen to white out.

Furthermore, according to the article, this device is intended for the 4-6 crowd (whereas the 3DS is aimed at the 7 years plus gamers). It's larger shape may make it - somewhat non-intuitively - easier to hold (more area to grip) and the lack of a hinge adds some robustness to the design. The kid won't be carrying it around in their pockets; Mom and Dad will have it in their bag.

I don't know if this is what Nintendo was thinking (or if I would agree with that logic) but it may explain the change.

Plus, the unibody design is probably much cheaper to produce than the hinged clamshell of the original.

My DS Lite is unplayable now due to a loose connector somewhere in the clamshell hinge that's caused the top screen to white out.

You should get a tri-wing screwdriver and reconnect it. They're really not that complicated on the inside. I've replaced the entire top screen of my DS original before due to my younger cousin stepping on it.

I would check the DS Lite guides at iFixIt [ifixit.com], they're pretty good. You'd probably want to follow their upper LCD replacement guide [ifixit.com] except you'd just reconnect the one you've already got (hopefully it really is a loose connection and not a dead screen).

... the screen and main control button protection a clamshell design gave you.

it seems it will come with a protection case. At least is what the kid used to put away his 2DS on Nintendo's video at YouTube.

Heh, "accessories sold separately" I'd bet.

It's wild that a portable system aimed at the under-7 crowd would intentionally have less protection from scratches. I think Big N is counting on children crying about how scratched up their 2DS is so they can get a second one.

yeptold my oldest kid that if he wants some $30 mario game for his he has to finish some online math courses before school startsso he's now playing on the ipad a lot more than the 3ds and i'm more than willing to buy games for $.99 without a second though

Do they, really? Tablet/phone games are rarely anything to write home about unless you like incredibly simplistic games, akin to playing browser games. They will never properly compete with full game releases when actual gamers are concerned. It just won't happen. There will always be a market for those seeking more substance in their games. The fact that they haven't gone belly up despite the iPhone/iPad being out as long as it has is a testament to that. We always hear about how doomed the handheld consol

Do they, really? Tablet/phone games are rarely anything to write home about unless you like incredibly simplistic games, akin to playing browser games. They will never properly compete with full game releases when actual gamers are concerned. It just won't happen. There will always be a market for those seeking more substance in their games. The fact that they haven't gone belly up despite the iPhone/iPad being out as long as it has is a testament to that. We always hear about how doomed the handheld console market is over phones because of "99 cent games", but it never actually happens.

The lack of good inputdev is the main thing holding back phone and tablet games. And good controllers and buttons add weight and bulk, so, complete agreement, portable dedicated consoles are here to stay.

No, the rush to the bottom and the $0.99 price point is what is holding back phone and tablet games. A game that actually has some production value is a huge risk in a market where everyone and their child is attempting to sell the next Angry Birds. It is far too easy to be lost in the huge volume of terrible titles and a higher price point doesn't go over well.

They said we'd never be able to start gaming in 2D, but now we've proven them wrong! Vast R&D budgets were spent developing the technology to convert hum-drum 3D games into exciting and powerful complete 2D gaming experiences! Come get yours for just 4 easy payments of $30!

I'd gladly have spent an extra $20 on this if they'd stuck with a sane form factor. The pictures of this device look horrible, this is possibly the least convenient design I've seen for a device that claims to be portable.

If the form factor is your primary objection, why not just buy a regular 3DS? It has the added bonus of having stereo audio. (and 3D mode, which you can turn off and never look at again if you don't like it)

Lets be honest: 3d is a failure in this space. A huge nummber of 3DS users never turn the 3d on, and for a lot of the market it's not a selling feature. Making a cheaper unit without it is smart, as price is a huge factor in portable gaming sales.

But then they also stripped out a speaker (going to mono instead of stereo) and came up with this really awkward form factor. Why did they do that? This thing is going to be a lot more awkward to carry around because of that.

Lets be honest: 3d is a failure in this space. A huge nummber of 3DS users never turn the 3d on, and for a lot of the market it's not a selling feature. Making a cheaper unit without it is smart, as price is a huge factor in portable gaming sales.

But then they also stripped out a speaker (going to mono instead of stereo) and came up with this really awkward form factor. Why did they do that? This thing is going to be a lot more awkward to carry around because of that.

My first thought was that this isn't very good idea: it will strongly discourage developers from making games which do interesting things with the 3D effects because they know that some of their audience won't be able to use it. But then I skimmed the Wikipedia articles of the top selling 3DS games looking for examples of interesting uses of 3D and this (from Super Mario 3D Land) is the "best" such feature I found:

While the game is designed to not require the 3D effect, some obstacles or points of interest are deliberately more noticeable or easier when the 3D is switched on.

My first thought was that this isn't very good idea: it will strongly discourage developers from making games which do interesting things with the 3D effects because they know that some of their audience won't be able to use it. But then I skimmed the Wikipedia articles of the top selling 3DS games looking for examples of interesting uses of 3D and this (from Super Mario 3D Land) is the "best" such feature I found:

While the game is designed to not require the 3D effect, some obstacles or points of interest

I'm waiting for the 2DSXL where both screens are the same XL size and they go back to stereo. I don't mind the looks of the flat wedge/cake shape though it does make it permanently larger and exposes the 2 screens to inevitable scratching. I usually buy cases for my gear though.

Is this for all the Pokémon fans who want to run X and Y at the same time? I know I was thinking about buying a second Gameboy for when X and Y hit so I could self-trade and "catch them all". Then again, Nintendo could be trying to compete with smartphone gaming.

It's a cheap second machine for anyone who plans to play the new Pokemon games. You need one to play, and one to trade, in order to get the interesting evolutions and version exclusives. It works like this. You play A all the way through. Then you play B, trade over the pokemon from A, get version exclusives, and breed. Then you play A one more time, trading all the eggs/babies over for a great starter set. Yes, the Pokemon franchise forces you to own two machines.

It's a cheap second machine for anyone who plans to play the new Pokemon games. You need one to play, and one to trade, in order to get the interesting evolutions and version exclusives. It works like this. You play A all the way through. Then you play B, trade over the pokemon from A, get version exclusives, and breed. Then you play A one more time, trading all the eggs/babies over for a great starter set. Yes, the Pokemon franchise forces you to own two machines.

Or you can just enjoy the game on one machine, with one Pokemon title. Come across someone with the alternate game and can make a trade or two? Great! Filling up the Pokedex completely isn't fun at all, it's more of a chore than grinding in a JRPG.

I have never "caught 'em all" ever, and I don't feel like I've had a diminished game experience in any way whatsoever. It's actually quite liberating.

Jeeze, In my day we just had a Game Genie (later the Gameshark). You wanted a Pokemon, just find the code and *BAM* Mewtwo. Granted, we had to play on a yellow-tinted monochrome screen on a Gameboy that was a big as a brick and had a rechargable power supply that was also as big as a brick and hooked to your belt, but it was still fun.

It's a cheap second machine for anyone who plans to play the new Pokemon games. You need one to play, and one to trade, in order to get the interesting evolutions and version exclusives. It works like this. You play A all the way through. Then you play B, trade over the pokemon from A, get version exclusives, and breed. Then you play A one more time, trading all the eggs/babies over for a great starter set. Yes, the Pokemon franchise forces you to own two machines.

Bad moves all the way around. Our kids have a 3ds and ds that has not been used in months or a year even. They get all the games they need for free to 2.99 on their tablets & ipods or are happy playing some game on their laptop. Spending 29.99 on a game they may play for 20 minutes is a waste of money.
Next the original ds design was very durable, could take some drops, could be sat on or stuffed in a bag. This design will lead to lots of broken screens and buttons. They should have just designed the 3d

I take it you're not an engineer? What you basically said was, "They should have designed DVDs to play in VHS players". It wasn't a trick. It was, if you want to play games that look better and have more content then you have to upgrade your hardware. I mean, if they could somehow get 3DS quality games (even without 3D) running on the DS, I think they would have just done it. It's nice having a 100 million users out there.

As for being dead, you bought one didn't you? My two kids each have one. The games are

3ds is the same ds hardware just beefed up for the 3d effect but it also did lead to higher quality games when most devs took advantage of the better hardware and not the cheesy 3d effect. clamshell failure is a problem with the ds and young kids i have seen them scratched to all hell and the hinges either beat to crap or totally broken not so much as adult who does not throw his system around and abuse it. so i can see this resigned ds for the small kids making sense. some ds games do in fact get direct a

The 3DS is not "beefed up" DS hardware. It has all new firmware, a dual core ARM processor and PICA200 graphics processor. It may be backwards compatible and share a similar form factor but it's basically a new device.

According to this article [usgamer.net], the cost reduction also comes from using one screen to represent the old dual-screen setup. Since both screens have the same PPI of 132, it's relatively feasible.

I have a feeling that Nintendo will release a brand-new tablet form-factor based on this very device. The single screen driving this probably has a resolution of about 400x500, so quadrupling the resolution (264ppi) will make it competitive with other devices, AND make it incredibly easy to support 3DS backward-compatib

I don't think it's a coincidence that the 2DS comes out the same day as Pokemon XY (the first one to have an international, simultaneous release).The 3D is a gimmick few players want, and really, making the console cheaper helps those pokemon sales, a game that has solid sales no matter what. It means a lot of money to Nintendo, so this makes perfect sense.

Also it's fun how the consoles are red and blue in color, since XY also goes back to such coloring (X is themed blue, Y is red).

I'd buy a 3DS before I bought a tablet. Mobile games that sell for a dollar or less are downright awful. You're lying to yourself if you think they are in any way comperable to what Nintendo is offering.